Sound. The. Bullhorn. Plenty of new and exciting division winners are back and Texas show choir showed that it is just as chaotic as the rest of the country. What does it all mean?
Final Results
GC: Keller “Blue Lights” (BV)
1RU: Keller Central “Voices of Central” (BC)
2RU: Timber Creek “Aerodynamics”
3RU: Fossil Ridge “Pantheon”
4RU: Legacy “Silver Elite”
5RU: Arlington “Choraliers”
A year after shockwaves went through Texas when Voices of Central lost a caption and still held on to the win, 2024 was the end of Keller Central’s reign on Cowtown. Under the new head direction of Zach Steele, the rebranded Keller Blue Lights came in and won the dang thing after not competing at it last year. Amerenne Pierce also won a soloist award for Blue Lights, who now assume the position as the de facto top dog in the state.
That’s not to say that it is all doom and gloom for Voices of Central. They still won Best Choreography and Nash Dean grabbed a performer award. VOC remains the most storied program in Texas and there is absolutely no reason to hit the panic button on their season right now.
Timber Creek doesn’t have as much name recognition as Legacy and Arlington, but they continue to show up year after year post-pandemic and put down very solid performances. Of course, everything is subject to change at North Texas and Lone Star, but people need to start putting some respect on ADX’s name.
Is Fossil Ridge still in upstart territory? Pantheon is in its third year as a competitive choir now and has proved that it is right there with the veteran guards of the Texas show choir scene, bounding ahead of Silver Elite and Choraliers here. While the road gets tougher at North Texas and Lone Star, this is a shining result for the youngest of Texas' top contenders.
Legacy and Arlington are both legacy programs (pun intended) that continued traditions of excellence by making finals. Both should still be in the mix at Lone Star and Arlington will look to make waves at North Texas. While Legacy fell to fifth after taking second and a caption last season, there might be a temptation to hit the panic button. Don't do it - both of these groups will find their footing.
Paschal, Southlake Carroll, Burleson and Centennial missed finals.
High School Prep
1st: Arlington Heights “Nitro”
2nd: Keller Central “Voltage”
3rd: Timberview “Viva di Voce”
Arlington Heights was the group with the hype coming into the competition, and they definitely delivered. Nitro came home with its first division win on the back of its Super Bowl halftime-themed show. The group only competed at Cowtown and North Texas last year – time will tell if they will expand their schedule this year.
Gone are the days of Voltage running over the prep division and even making finals. It’s not a knock on them, it’s just the fact that Texas show choir has gotten so much better over the past few years that even prep-level groups are challenging the division juggernaut that Voltage is. It’s a microcosm of what’s happening in the varsity division as well. With a trip to Rouse not looking like it’s on the schedule for Voltage this year, North Texas may be the only opportunity to even the score.
Timberview didn’t win the prep division, but for a group under new direction and making a return to competitive show choir for the first time after the pandemic, beating two choirs who competed last year is about as good of a result as one could have asked for. Unless they’re a late add to any schedule this year, a third and the Rising Star Award may just be what Viva di Voce takes away from this season.
Cristo Rey and Ferris didn’t place, but both choirs gained another performance under their belts and hopefully saw their scores move up on the sheet, even if the placings didn’t land in the top three.
Middle School Advanced
1st: Trinity Springs “Titanium” (BV)
2nd: Hillwood “Harmonics” (BC)
3rd: Keller “Legend”
Oh, how a year can make a difference. Timberview Ovation swept four competitions last year and did not make the top three here. Trinity Springs, waiting in the wings as the second-place group all last year, stepped up and narrowly beat Hillwood to pick up the win in this division. Harmonics faced questions after the departure of Jodi Coke, but they seem to be doing just fine or even better! Keller is another program that truly surprised, as they performed in exhibition at this event last year but jumped right into advanced and stuck the landing to begin competition in 2024.
Middle School Prep
1st: Indian Springs “Gold”
2nd: Trinity Springs “Fusion”
3rd: Parkwood Hill “Applause”
In a division where predictions were mostly just dart tosses, there are a couple good insights to gain. Indian Springs went from no placement and the Rising Star Award last year to winning the division here this year. Fusion placed no higher than third in any division last year and has seemingly made a big jump this year. Parkwood Hill is a group that appeared out of mostly nowhere and garnered the Rising Star Award this year, setting them up on a good trajectory for the rest of the season.
And just like that, North Texas is just over ten days away! Catch everyone on the flip side for a preview!
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